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Truce in Syria highly probable – expert

The sides of the Syrian conflict will agree to a ceasefire, approved Feb. 22 by the presidents of Russia and the US, says Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow-based Institute for Middle Eastern Studies.

"There will be provocations, but there is a high probability that the agreement will be implemented," Satanovsky told Trend Feb. 24.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed the lives of more than 220,000 people.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The "Islamic State" (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups are the most active ones in Syria.

Earlier on Feb. 22, the presidents of Russia and the US approved the ceasefire, which is to start Feb. 27 at midnight. Terrorist groups, such as IS and Jabhat al-Nusra, are not part of the ceasefire truce.

Satanovsky further said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the part of the opposition, which is not included in Jabhat al-Nusra and the IS, as well as other groups listed by the UN as terrorist, will agree with this agreement.

Meanwhile, he believes that not all the countries involved in the conflict in Syria are ready for the ceasefire agreement.

So, in his opinion, Turkey is not ready for such a step, "while Saudi Arabia and Qatar will act indirectly using terrorists controlled by them."